Not a fan, no real need for me even though someone once suggested I buy one, but if I had to buy one, I'd buy this, simply because it looks cool and there isn't a regular-scale version.
Italia Cavo short-scale.
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Short scale bass 30 or 32
- Thread starter PleyswethSqwerl
- Start date
Italia Cavo short-scale.
After 23 years of playing, buying, selling, and trading basses, experiencing just about every shape and size available, 30 - 30.75" short scales are my favorite and I barely ever play my long scale basses anymore. Sweeping generalizations like "short scale basses are muddy" or claiming they have tension or tuning issues are just uninformed nonsense. There are many short scale options that are very articulate, crisp, cutting, etc. Yes, a vintage Gibson EB-0 tends to have a "muddy" sound, but that has nothing to do with the scale and everything to do with the fact that they have a single, super overwound humbucker in the far neck position.
I have a collection of short scale basses and they all wear flatwounds or tapewounds. Every one of them can be bright and clanky as the sun and cut through any mix, including my 1962 Gibson EB-0 with modified electronics. It's all about good pickups, a proper set up, and strings that fit.
Play whatever feels right to you. You don't have to be a small person with small hands to play a short scale bass. I'm 5'11" but just find a 30.75" scale to be the most comfortable.
I have a collection of short scale basses and they all wear flatwounds or tapewounds. Every one of them can be bright and clanky as the sun and cut through any mix, including my 1962 Gibson EB-0 with modified electronics. It's all about good pickups, a proper set up, and strings that fit.
Play whatever feels right to you. You don't have to be a small person with small hands to play a short scale bass. I'm 5'11" but just find a 30.75" scale to be the most comfortable.
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I love my Lakland HB30. Never changed the factory strings (half wounds?) and put a Novak goldfoil pickup in the neck position. Sounds like a freight train now. Jazz spacing and it gets me everything I need to do.
32 is the best balance between easy playing in the lower frets and not being too cramped above the 12th. Imo.
30" will give you more choices for strings, but be careful, if the bass is string-through (e.g. Mustang) you could need 32" strings (or Mustang-specific strings) to set it all up correctly.
I love my 30" MIJ Fender Jazz with D'Addario Chrome flats. That combo has good tension, and isn't overly thuddy.
I love my 30" MIJ Fender Jazz with D'Addario Chrome flats. That combo has good tension, and isn't overly thuddy.
I have a Hofner which is 30" and a medium scale jbass which is 32". They are very different for a variety of reasons but I prefer the 32" Fender.
They said you can't straddle both canoes eventually they will split up. 30 for short scale or even shorter 32 and 33 bugs me.
I prefer 32"/medium scale if I am looking for a bass that is reasonably similar to a standard scale bass but is a bit easier to play. It's also the shortest I tend to go if I want to be able to detune the bass.
At this point I prefer 30" only if I am more specifically leaning into the classic "short scale" sound and feel, with significantly lower tension at standard tuning and a tubbier, more fundamental-focused tone, likely in an instrument with a vintage vibe.
At this point I prefer 30" only if I am more specifically leaning into the classic "short scale" sound and feel, with significantly lower tension at standard tuning and a tubbier, more fundamental-focused tone, likely in an instrument with a vintage vibe.
I had always been a 34"scale or more player until I picked up this bass.
30.75" scale on this bass. This is a long time Alembic bass style. It really balances well, giving you easy access to the middle and upper registers, yet still leaving a comfortable reach to 1st position. I currently have TI Jazz Rounds on it and the feel is great. Monsterous tone with great articulation.
The short scale makes it easy and comfortable to play.
Bones
30.75" scale on this bass. This is a long time Alembic bass style. It really balances well, giving you easy access to the middle and upper registers, yet still leaving a comfortable reach to 1st position. I currently have TI Jazz Rounds on it and the feel is great. Monsterous tone with great articulation.
The short scale makes it easy and comfortable to play.
Bones
This is my feeling too, but fair warning when it come to strings 32s are much harder to come by than 30s or 34s
BUT……if you do 32 string thru body, you can use almost any 34 scale strings on a 32. With 30s you are pretty much stuck with whatever 30s are offered and 30 string thru means having to use 32s which as previously mentioned is limiting.
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I have four 32" scale basses and love them (Stu Hamm Urge 1, MTD Kingston LK5, and two customer built P-Bass ones. I tried 30" but they're just too short. The spacing between notes is too close for my "muscle memory". Plus I like the sound of the 32" over the 30".
I found someone who makes 32" necks that fit the standard Fender bass pocket. I'm awaiting price and deliver.
Arguably the short scale bass to have - at least IMO - presuming one can afford it in the first place. Lovely instruments.
I have 28, 30, 32 and 34 inch scale 4 string basses and generally lean towards the 32 and 30 inch ones. When I play the longer scales I play them mostly above the 5th fret as my stubby little grippers strain playing a 34 by the nut. The 28 inch one is great for travel. As for tone they all run P pickups with Tapewounds, I have never noticed any flubbyness, is that a word??
I have Black LaBella Tape Wounds on my 30” Veilette 5 string (E>C). The bass only has piezoelectric pickups. This is a totally different sound/feel/instrument than my 2 multi scale Dingwalls (1 long scale & 1 super series).
I love my shorty but I couldn’t play everything on it that I like to play.
I love my shorty but I couldn’t play everything on it that I like to play.
I have a 30” and I’ve played multiple shorties. The inherently muddy thing isn’t exactly true.
Yes the string vibrates differently due to scale length, but it is pickup position that causes a lot of mud. Many short scales have a pickup by the neck. That leaves you with a thick muddy tone on that pickup. This is desirable in certain situations. A Sire U5 is way more “fendery” and not muddy due to placement of pickups.
They’re different, not better/worse. And if you’re not playing a 34” you really need to measure and check string lengths before buying. My bass likes specific strings due to bridge design (hollowbody). For this reason I would avoid 32”. It’s a nice scale and a great middle ground - with scarce choices for strings. There’s more 30” basses, so manufacturers make more options at those lengths.
Alembic easily disproves “short scales are muddy”.
I forget about them since I can’t afford lol.
Note that with some short scale basses the headstock end of the neck is just as far from the body as with 34" scale, because the shorter scale was achieved by positioning the bridge significantly further from the edge of the body than on most 34" scale instruments. So although the fret spacing is narrower, a 30" scale bass can feel as big as a 34" scale bass.
Which is neither right nor wrong, it's just a matter of preference, but if considering switching to shorter scale for ergonomic reasons you need to try the individual instrument for yourself before committing to the purchase.
Which is neither right nor wrong, it's just a matter of preference, but if considering switching to shorter scale for ergonomic reasons you need to try the individual instrument for yourself before committing to the purchase.
A short scale Stingray will also dispel the muddy/tubby issue. The Sterling version is just a tad more affordable than an Alembic.
